October 30, 2002
Reading: Song of Solomon 2:1-3

 

“I am the rose of Sharon” (1)

 

One of the songs we sang in Sunday school when I was a child was, “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” Unfortunately, very little is said or written about the ‘beauty of Jesus.’ Maybe it is because, in our society, men do not refer to another man as beautiful. It is the same with relationships – Can you imagine what would be said of John if he was seen resting his head on the breast of Jesus today? This is what happens when we try to apply human concepts and conclusions to spiritual things.

Our text speaks of Jesus as the “Rose of Sharon.” While the plant referred to is the narcissus and grows today in the plain of Sharon, it does not deter from the beauty of the flower. The Plain of Sharon is a stretch of land that runs up the Mediterranean coastline from Joppa to Mt. Carmel and is about 12 miles wide. It boasts very fertile ground and a plethora of plants, wild and cultivated, spreads across its territory.

Isaiah wrote, “He (Messiah) shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” Isa 53:2. There was nothing in His physical appearance to attract people to follow Him. This is not to say that His features were ‘ugly,’ but that He possessed no extraordinary qualities. The beauty of Jesus lies in His inner character, His spiritual attributes, and in these He excelled to perfection.

Again, speaking of the Messiah, God incarnate, Isaiah says, “Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist” Isa 11:5. In these days of unfaithful alliances, how refreshing and assuring it is to know Him who remains faithful no matter the circumstances – 2 Tim 2:13. God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Num 23:19.

The original Saxon meaning of our English word “God” is “The Good.” God is not only the Greatest of all beings, but the Best. Goodness is the essence of His eternal nature. “The goodness of God endures continually” Ps 52:1. Jesus was good to all who came to Him in need. His miracles of healing all came out of His goodness.

Surely (dare we evaluate the value of Jesus’ perfection?), the greatest attribute of His beauty is love. How beautiful His love that He loves even me! He loves the unlovely to the point that He gave His life for us. “Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? ’Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies! Who can explore His strange design? In vain the firstborn seraph tries to sound the depths of love Divine” Charles Wesley.

Look closely at the petals of a rose and you will discover they are all perfect in shape and design, all fitting perfectly to produce the beautiful flower. Jesus is the Flower, and each of His attributes, perfect in themselves, combine to reveal to us the excellency of His beauty. Each characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), which are to be evidenced in our lives, is perfect in the beauty of Jesus. “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.”